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EPA Orders Sunoco to Continue Cleanup and Restore Heinz Refuge Agency Interested in Leak Detection on Pipelines

Release Date: 2/29/2000
Contact Information: Ruth Podems (215) 814-5540

Ruth Podems, 215-814-5540

PHILADELPHIA -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is ordering Sunoco, Inc. and a related company, Sun Pipe Line Co., to restore the environment in the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Philadelphia, the site of an oil leak from one of Sunoco’s underground pipelines beneath the refuge.

A hiker in the refuge discovered the leak on February 5, and so far, Sunoco workers have recovered about 175,000 gallons of crude oil. Oil recovery will continue indefinitely.

The EPA’s order requires that Sunoco and Sun Pipe Line continue oil recovery and control; monitor wetlands, wildlife, surrounding water and shorelines; and restore the area as close to its pre-leak condition as possible. The company must provide a weekly status report to EPA on the progress of the cleanup and the impact on the environment and wildlife.

"We all recognize the unique value of this natural oasis to the people of the Delaware Valley and the fish and wildlife that live there. This leak reminds that a greater commitment must be made to this precious resource. Today’s order is a critical component of that greater commitment," said Bradley Campbell, EPA’s regional administrator.

"I also want to acknowledge the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Sunoco on their timely and efficient coordination in addressing the refuge oil leak," Campbell added.

Sunoco - 2/29 - page two

EPA also ordered that Sunoco study the feasibility of a state-of-the art leak detection system capable of detecting a slow pipeline leak within 30 minutes and a fast leak even sooner. OPS supports that study. The system described in Sunoco’s study will also be required to have an automatic cut-off system in case of a leak.

Today’s order follows EPA’s initial emergency order to Sunoco when the spill was first discovered. At that time, EPA ordered Sunoco to recover the oil, maintain absorbent booms in Darby Creek, and monitor the extent of the spill under the ice.

The EPA has been coordinating with the Office of Pipeline Safety to address the oil leak. In addition to the agency’s own orders, the EPA also concurs with the technical measures endorsed by OPS in a February 17 letter from Sunoco. These measures, carried out over the next year, will establish safeguards that the company agreed to meet before putting the pipeline back into service. The company also agreed to several measures to improve operating procedures to prevent future leaks.

Some of these measures include inspecting several joints in Sunoco’s pipelines (the spill occurred at a cracked joint) and repairing or replacing those joints that might jeopardize the safety of the lines; hydrotesting the lines by pumping water through them at a higher-than-normal test pressure; inspecting (walking) the line weekly; installing equipment to "smart pig" the line, a process which probes the line periodically to look for corrosion and mechanical defects; and providing weekly and monthly progress reports.

The EPA and OPS requirements outlined here are especially critical because Sunoco’s pipelines crisscross sensitive and vulnerable ecological systems. The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge is a rare freshwater tidal wetland, home to a unique array of vegetation and wildlife. It serves as a stopping point in the annual bird migration, and its rare soils serve as filters naturally breaking down contamination.

Also vulnerable to pipeline leaks is the New Jersey Coastal Plain Sole Source Aquifer, a natural underground water supply which provides water to 11 southern New Jersey counties. One of Sunoco’s pipelines was recently rerouted around the soon-to-be-constructed airport expansion. This rerouted pipeline, though not yet in operation, passes through the aquifer, 50 feet underground.

If Sunoco or Sun Pipe Line Co. fails to comply with any provisions of the EPA order, either or both companies could be subject to civil penalties of up to $27,500 per day of violation, or an amount up to three times the cost incurred by the federal government to carry out the provisions.
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